. >> joining me now msnbc political analyst and former rnc chairman michael steele and nbc political analyst former democratic governor of pennsylvania ed rendell. good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> so the president is calling on the new congress to hold votes in january on banning the sale of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips and background checks on all gun purchases. joe biden doesn't also have relationships on the hill. he's also built them with law enforcement. if he gets their support could that pressure republicans to work with the president on these types of reforms. >> i believe it can, and i think joe biden has a long history of working with members of the nra and certainly law enforcement on these issues in the past. the famous exchange during the debate in '08 and '07 on these issues so he's got credibility, and i think the president is setting up his game plan pretty smartly at this point. right now the country is in a mood to do something, and i think that republicans have to recognize that, number one and number two, that